Dispenser for paper articles



Sept. 16, 1941. J. B. ENGEL DISPENSER FOR PAPER ARTICLES Filed June 17, 1940 INVENTOR JOHN 6. ENG-E4.

BY W AM/AM K'rToRNEYs.

Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT o FicE.

DISPENSER FOR PAPER ARTICLES John B. Engel, Green Bay, Wis., assignor to Bay West Paper Company, Green Bay, Wis., a corporation-of Wisconsin Application June 17, 1940, Serial No. 340,867 Claims. (01. 312-50) for use at filling stations and the like, where the interfolded towels have been found to be valuable in the cleaning of automobile Windshields and windows.

In this connection, it is my purpose to make use of existing dispenser equipment and to provide a substitute waterproof mounting in which the existing equipment will function in its normal way in dispensing paper articles, but into which such equipment will be introduced and from which it may be removed readily in an entirely novel manner.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon analysis of the following disclosure of the invention.

In the drawing: 4

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing in partially separated positions a conventional piece of dispensing equipment and my improved mounting therefor.

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale in transverse section through the assembled dispenser and mounting.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view taken in longitudinal section through the assembled dispenser and mounting to show one type of latch suitable for supporting the dispenser in its case.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters'throughout the several views.

A conventional dispenser for interfolded sheets may contain a slotted bottom 5, a back 6 and triangular end pieces 1 serving to connect the back and bottom. In order to take the load of the package off the lowermost interfolded sheets thereof, it is customary to provide the back with detent lips at 8 and the forward margin of the bottom may have an upstanding flange 9 provided with complementary inwardly projecting lips at iii.

however, would not be weatherproof in the open and any attempt to make the joints of the hinged cover with the dispenser watertight would involve substantial expense and would make the device unnecessarily complex in operation.

In accordance with the present invention, a cabinet l5 having a front wall it, end walls ll, top l8 and back I! is hermetically tight at all of its margins and sides except for its bottom, which is open. Exteriorly, its rear wall I! may be provided with any desired type of mounting device, here exemplified by the hook 20. Interiorly, its end walls I! are provided with spring latch elements 22 which have shoulder portions of the cabinet to release the dispensing cabinet and permit it tobe withdrawn through the bottom of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 1, for filling.

When the dispenser mechanism is filled with a supply of interfolded sheets, it is thrust bodily upwardly into the stationary cabinet shell, pressing the spring latch elements 22 aside until it clears the shoulders 23 which, due to resilient reaction of the spring latch elements, are forced to meet the dispenser to support it in position for use. In use, the entire package of paper articles is held within the inverted shell at such a height as to be entirely safe against rain or dirt under normal weather conditions. Even the free leaf of the lowermost interfolded sheet in the package, which leaf normally depends through the dispensing slot 24, will be substantially entirely housed within the lower end of the cabinet shell. Yet it will be entirely accessible therein and upon its withdrawal it will pull down the free end of the next successive sheet in the usual manner.

When all the sheets have been withdrawn, the operators hands, thrust into the bottom of the inverted cabinet shell to manipulate the spring latches 23, will be in position to catch and support the dispenser during its withdrawal for recharging.

'I'he'dispenser shown, being adapted for interfolded sheets, exemplifies other dispensers of paper articles which might be substituted in the same or other forms of weatherproof inverted shell cabinets to carry out the purposes of this invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a cabinet in the form of an inverted shell open at its bottom and having a weathertight joint throughout front, back, sides and top in permanent connection, of -a paper article dispenser fitted to said shell and freely receivable and removable through its bottom, and means for releasably supporting the dispenser in the shell, said'dispenser being supported ata sumcient distance above the bottom of the shell to protect the contents, including the article presented for withdrawal, from exposure to the elements.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a cabinet comprising a shell having means for supporting it in a fixed position, said shell. including front, back, side and top portions in weather-tight connection, of a dispensing mechanism comprising a slotted base adapted for the support of a pack of articles to be dispensed through the slot, said base be- 1 v ing freely receivable and removable into and from the bottom of said shell without displacing said shell from its support, and manually releasable latch means for .supporting said base at a predetermined level above the bottom of said shell and constituting the sole means for retaining base at a predetermined level above the bottom of said shell, said latch means comprising springs connected with the shell'and shouldered for engagement with the base at a level above their respective connections with said shell.

4. In a device of the character described, a cabinet adapted-for fixed mounting and comprising an inverted shell open at its bottom and comprising front, back, side and top wall portions hermetically connected to exclude the weather, of a dispensing unit receivable into said shell through the open bottom thereof and comprlsing a slotted base and means for the support of said base in said shell at a level spaced above the open bottom of said shell, said supporting means comprising at least one manually operable spring latch member connectedinternally to said shell and projecting upwardly therein and provided with a supporting shoulder at a level above its point of connection with the shell.

5. An outdoor dispenser for paper articles and the like, comprising the combination with dispensing mechanism, adapted to support a stack of articles in position for successive withdrawal from-the, bottom of the stack, of an op'enbottomed and otherwiseweathertight housing shell adapted to fit over the dispensing mechanism,

with its lowerportion extending below said mechanism a suflicientdistance to protect the contents from the elements under normal conditions of wind-and weather, saidshell and dispenser being vertically separable to allow the dispenser to be supplied with articles, to be dispensed.

' JOHN B. ENGEL. 

